With all this “politicking” from aspiring candidates who have now (slightly) started their campaign for the 2010 election, a “planned” Automated Election shouldn’t be left behind

An editorial from Manila Times entitled Open Election System (OES) in 2010 stated the growing sentiment of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) concerning the upcoming automated election in 2010. This because the Commission on Elections (Comelec) had proposed to the Senate that it will be using the so-called Precinct Count Optical Scan (PCOS) machines instead of DRE (Direct Recording Electronic) and OMR (Optical Mark Reader) which had helped the ARMM vote-counting to be a success. However, CBCP expressed their concern that “these technologies seem to be very costly in terms of procurement and storage and do not exactly guarantee fraud-free election results.” It endorsed the so-called Open Election System (OES)” (investing.businessweek.com).

While it’s quite technical to discuss how PCOS, DRE and OMR operate, Comelec argued that PCOS machine is much better because it is an improved OMR. “PCOS involves the use of machines reading or scanning optical paper ballots that voters have marked by hand. The votes shown in each scanned ballot are then automatically added in a computerized tally for every “clustered precinct.” Under this system, precincts would have to be clustered, otherwise there would have to be hundreds of thousands of precincts to be equipped with PCOS machines. With cluttering, only 80,000 PCOS machines need to be deployed throughout thePhilippines” (investing.businessweek.com).

I bet it’s too technical.

With P113 billion “approved” supplemental budget for the automated 2010 election, I hope that President Arroyo would live up to one of her nationalistic plans under the Medium-Term Development that emphasizes electoral reforms by pursuing an automated elections that is said to be ‘essential to political stability.’

If you, the one who’s’ reading this is deadly scared consulting face-to-face with your doctor, well I am too! But wait, you may feel somehow confused, anxious, amazed or a bit of everything consulting an online medical check-up than having been personally checked by a physician.

If there is this so-called online shopping in ebay or Amazon, well there is another hit in the cyberworld – an online medical symptom checker. Were you amazed that there is a symptom checker in the worldwide web?

What is so common among these sites are the options which will asked you which of your body part/s is/are affected or something that you feel wrong and then will let you choose some basic information like gender and age. While other sites had a human body (man and woman), you will just click which part of your body is indeed affected and then will give some sort of conditions or how you feel on that body part (e.g. tingling, burning, swelling etc.) until you become more and more specific and then viola! The site will give you all the POSSIBLE CONDITIONS or AILMENTS based from the symptoms you have clicked or selected. Moreover, somewhere in these sites will you find some sort of a disclaimer which states that all the information you can find are just sources and that it is still better to consult a medical doctor for immediate treatment.

Online symptom checker maybe quite a new-found sites among people who have less exposure to the cyberworld or Internet or those who have not the access into it. I could say that this is quite new since many of us are not aware of the so-called “symptom checker” over the net and maybe, people never ever think that such really exist. And yes, it’s quite unbelievable that there is a symptom checker who acts as if like a medical specialist or a licensed physician who can dictate of what ailment or disease you have incurred. Nevertheless, an online check-up is another way how it tailored and transformed human health service into an immediate health-response service via the Internet. With this, everyone who had the access to the Internet could have such access to the symptom checker and could get inkling or fast-information that would eventually lead them to consult a real doctor for a REAL MEDICATION.

Just recently, while I was browsing for the latest tech buzz on the net, I came across with the gmanews.tv hompepage which features DSWD and its partnered NGOs on their supposed e-learning project for pre-schoolers nationwide. The project is dubbed as Philippine e-Learning Network or PeN Project with primary goal of offering “distance learning program for day care centers under the early childhood care and development (ECCD). Furthermore, when we say e-learning, it’s quite obvious that it pertains to ‘eletronic learning’ which merits the use of computers, Internet, and other electronic device such as audio device and the like to efficiently integrate technology towards an interactive learning. Although the site did not further the budget and the exact date when it will be launched or until when the project will run, the bottom line is, until when does this E-learning project facilitate effective e-learning among our pre-schoolers? Will it “last”?

This thing bothered me as I go through with the article. It leads me to doubt whether it was DSWD’s initiative to pursue such or maybe part of President Arroyo’s “image-building” amid all these first family’s controversies sprawling out in the media. Even so, DSWD worked and being financed under the Office of the President and yet, the agency couldn’t point out the total budget allocated for this e-Learning project and until when it will run. And mind you, this is a nationwide campaign! I’d rather think that this is just part of PGMA’s fabrications in all of her political agenda.

So what is e-Learning by the way? Quoted from the paper entitled E-learning in the Philippines through the Use of Affordable, High-Quality, and Custom-Designed Development Tools by Caccam et al., e-learning is “technologically-supported learning, which includes the use of electronic media such as the Internet, personal computers, phone bridging, audio and videotape, video teleconferencing, satellite broadcast, mobile phones, personal digital assistants, and other related technologies to enhance teaching and learning.” Meanwhile DSWD stated that “It hopes to increase enrollment of day care children from 1.2 million to 3 million….. the project will cover 42,000 barangay day care centers nationwide….. also, the program will review and update pre-school curriculum.. (www.gmanews.tv)”

In another article entitled E-Learning for Basic Education in the Philippines authored by Professor Virgilio Manzano of the UP College of Education, “There are a lot advantages of using e-learning in the in-school and off-school settings in the Philippines. It allows interactivity between the lesson and the learner. The individualization of each learner is enhanced. The cost-effectiveness can be seen on it since the reproduction and distribution of learning materials is considered to be inexpensive. Its novelty allows the learners to deal on interesting lessons allowing them to become well motivated and receptive …..the integrity of each lessons can be maintained since the computer allows the delivery of uniform information in a sequential manner based on the needs of the learners, anytime and anywhere.”

Yes, it has its (good) objective and a (good) vision, but what about its implementation? I don’t mind of the correspondent from gmanews.tv missing all those ‘necessary’ information like the planning, budget allocation, execution, strategy and the like. What I doubt in this supposed e-Lerarning project are: 1.) could this be an idea of the President so to make her name surfaced in a good light? 2.) How long does this PeN project will last? maybe just for a year, and 3.) Can DSWD and its NGO partners could really implement an effective e-Learning project in the country?

Manzano added that President Arroyo “stated the need for a government to support the use of distance education utilizing e-learning as one approaches to promote the provision of quality education in the local communities and to promote equal access to basic education that include the elementary and secondary school level.” As a student, I am always looking forward to one of Mrs. Arroyo’s promises of “quality” education, “education for all”, DSWD’s e-Learning and other things that she had envisioned for her past terms. But, where did she brought those promises?

DepEd lunched its E-learning program for teachers and principals in ARMM and Region 11 & 12 last 2005, let’s see where this e-Learning project will take the young minds of Pinoy pre-schoolers.

Well, I got pissed off two Fridays ago (30 January) when I accidentally watched the Chikaminute portion of 24 ORAS talking about this non-sense showbiz news about Rustom Padilla taking a great leap to a new name BeBe Gandanghari. A new transformation indeed! And mind you people and fans of the Classic Hollywood era, he*, I mean she recently had the photoshoot where she was imitating and pretending the Hollywood beauty Audrey Hepburn!

Oh my God! Rustom Padilla was trying too hard! He added that he was a big fan of Audrey Hepburn and she” idolizes her very much, that she was her* fashion inspiration and blah blah blah!

I can’t imagine that this good-looking man and a hunk of the 90s, doing action movies and sometimes acting as an antagonist had undergone a drastic change in his TOTAL PERSONALITY (physical, psychological and all) into what he himself presumed, A “REAL” WOMAN!

Yuck!

I must admit, I find him really cute doing action and chick-flick movies when I was in grade school…..and then suddenly, I pity Carmina. tsk. tsk. tsk.

_____

Again, maybe a milestone in my college life……It was January 31 (Saturday) when I and two of my blockmates boarded in an apartelle!

Yeah! Really it was a milestone ’cause that was the first time I entered into such building. Hmmm…..nothing more to say on that apartelle near GMA Network.

The story goes like this: There were only the three of us in our group who were traveling late that Saturday night just to arrive at UP Hotel where the rest of the group members were staying. And mind you people, those who got in at that hotel paid 440.oo pesos per head (truly shocking for a 12-hour stay) and while the three of us, paid a total of 450.oo pesos for a room! That was a really nice deal..hahaha

REASON: We’re late and nears February 1st (12 mn) so we decided to checked in at a cheap apartelle…and besides, students don’t have the luxury at that time!

THE MAIN EVENT: We almost lost our way to AS but we arrived EARLIER at the venue where YABANG PINOY’s “Fun Run” registration kicked off as early as 5a.

Let’s get it on!

Run! Run! Run! for a cause!

THE CATCH: It’s either you will laugh or pity each and everyone of us!

…We parted our ways WITHOUT BREAKFAST WITH OUR PENNY BUDGETED ONLY FOR OUR TRANSPORTATION….DEFINITELY NO MONEY FOR LUXURY, DUNKIN DONUTS, FAST FOOD, STREET FOODS and ALL. Better to use our penny to get home!

And I? A pathetic student with 1oo peso bill in my pocket….

but I still have my munchkins!

LESSON: Another way of appreciating our Development Communication subject! NO PENNY FOR A CAUSE!

I should say that all throughout my 4-year stay here in De La Salle, this is the ‘only’ year that Lasallian Days is truly celebrated with a bang! I mean, extravagantly observed since its foundation in 1977. Attended by faculty, administrators, students and alumni everyone rejoiced and collaborated for the Guinness attempt to the World’s Biggest Lasallian Human Star! Should I really be proud being a Lasallian – at heart!

With thousands of participants, the attempt to form the signum fidei was truly a success. The Bro. President truly uphold his vision for the Lasallian community and one among this is making a name for DLSU-Dasmariñas in the Guinness Book of World Records.